How do I know what weight bat to buy?
I have often been asked by parents and young players about the weight of a bat. The conversation often goes something like this “I want to buy my son a bat but how do I know what weight and length of a bat I should choose. I don’t want to buy a bat too light but I also don’t want the bat to be too heavy.”
The following is a simple guide to choosing a bat with the proper length and weight.
1. Take the bat with your dominant hand. If you are right handed, grab the bat at the handle with your right hand. Engulf the handle with your hand. Do not touch the bat with your other hand. Lift the bat to eye level while you are standing. Fully extend your right arm to where it is not bent at all. The bat should basically be an extension of your arm.
2. Hold the bat in this straight position for ten seconds. If your wrist starts to break or feels like it might then the bat is too heavy for you. If that bat feels like a toothpick and that you could do this drill all day long then the bat might be a little too light. If you are capable of holding the bat in this straight position for ten seconds without straining then the bat is probably the right weight and length.
This is just a simple drill that you can accomplish in the sporting goods store. If you are buying a bat online then do this exercise with a bat at practice or simply go to the store and do the exercise and then buy the bat online.
Never feel that you need to buy a heavy bat. The key to hitting is bat speed. Kids often use bats that are too heavy with the thought that they need a bigger bat to produce power.
Two of the greatest hitters of all time – Barry Bonds and Tony Gwynn used light bats because they knew that bat speed and bat control is much more important and vital to a hitter’s success than using a heavy bat.
I hope this simple exercise proves helpful in choosing your next bat.